Garmin Unveils Nuvi Phone

Garmin makes GPS devices. Garmin makes navigation software and accessories for cell phones and smartphones. Garmin makes cell phones...wait, what? Yep, you read right. Today, the GPS manufacturer took the wraps off its first smartphone at a press event in New York: the Garmin Nuvi Phone. It's a GSM/HSDPA mobile that runs on Garmin's own operating system and focuses on, no surprise, navigation. The device will come preloaded with maps of North America (or Eastern or Western Europe for all our international readers) and points of interests. It features a 3.5-inch touch screen, Google Local Search integration, a Web browser, and e-mail capabilities. We're still getting details on this new smartphone and will report them to you as they come in but any initial thoughts?

A $94,000 Diamond-Studded Cellphone, FromTiffany

A $94,000 phone is not in everyone's reach and those who afford it flaunt is flawlessly. $94,000 is a lot of money but, come on, this is Tiffany. You'd think it would have hit six figures on principle alone (though it does sound more impressive in yen 10 million).

The 3G handset, a joint project with Japan's Softbank Mobile, doesn't skimp either: It's encrusted with more than 400 diamonds totaling well over 20 carats, according to BornRich. Maybe Tiffany just decided that it can't pass up a literally golden opportunity on the Japanese market. If Zeus Computer is any indication, there's clearly plenty to be mined.

Wi-Fi Remote Plays Music, Browses Web And Much More

It's been well documented in this space that people have become increasingly addicted to their remotes, but the problem is reaching pandemic proportions. Not only do they want to take it with them all at times and under any weather conditions, but apparently they also want it to take over every digital function in their lives.

Nothing exemplifies this trend more than tvCompass, which has developed a Wi-Fi remote that can browse the Web on its 2.2-inch cell-phone-style LCD, according to Dvice. In addition to controlling up to 24 devices, the SR 1500 Digital Media Remote even has "hot keys" for real-time information feeds and a speaker "to hear alerts and play back digital audio." It also has a built-in Wi-Fi locater so that, we suppose, you can walk around the house looking for hot spots.

Let's get this straight: So this is a multimedia device that plays music and browses the Web. The obvious question is, naturally, does it come with a remote?

Nikon's New Budget-Priced Coolpix Camera

While this camera doesn't feature an ultra compact metal body like the new Coolpix S-series cameras, or the viewfinder and manual controls of the new Coolpix P60, Nikon's new budget-priced Coolpix L18 stands out as the most affordable of Nikon's new cameras.

The colorful, 8-megapixel L18 sports a large 3-inch LCD screen, a surprising feature in a sub-$150 camera. Besides the large screen, however, the L18 offers a standard and unremarkable feature set, including a 3x optical zoom, 32 MB of built-in memory, and a maximum sensitivity of ISO 1,600. It draws power from two AA batteries, so you can choose between rechargeable batteries or cheaper, one-use lithium/oxy-nickel/alkaline cells. The Coolpix L18 ships in March with a suggested retail price of $140. It will be available in a variety of colors, including red and blue versions.

ViewSonic VLED221wm 22-Inch LCD Monitor

Though the attractive specs and smooth design of this LCD monitor are impressive, its premium price will turn off most people.

ViewSonic's 22-inch wide-screen VLED221wm is the world's first sub-$1000 LCD monitor with LED backlight technology, which delivers an evenly bright screen and a wide color gamut.

The VLED221wm, which should be available in late February, offers a 12,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio that allows the display of impressive blacks; provides great color reproduction due to its ability to represent up to 118 percent of the NTSC color gamut; has a 1680 by 1050 native resolution; and boasts a 5ms response time. At $800 (as of 1/29/08), the VLED221wm costs more than double the price of the HP w2207.

The cleanly designed VLED221wm has a thin, glossy, deep-black bezel. Most glossy bezels collect fingerprints and dirt, making the monitor look as if it were part of a CSI crime scene. The VLED221wm, however, proved smudge and fingerprint resistant, despite my repeated attempts to dirty it up. The built-in stereo speakers blend nicely and unobtrusively into the bezel, too. Though the display tilts, it does not swivel or pivot. In the user-friendly OSD (on-screen display) menu, you can adjust the color settings, the brightness and contrast, and the audio volume by using the up, down, and select buttons on the front of the display.

Sound quality was lacking. The high frequencies were too high, and the lows lacked the punch that a stand-alone speaker system would provide. While the tinny sound won't please audiophiles, it is satisfactory if low background music is all you want.

In image-quality, the VLED221wm failed to outperform all of its cheaper, non-LED-backlit competitors. Nevertheless, this display produced better-quality images than 18 other 20-inch and 22-inch displays we looked at in the past.

Though ViewSonic packed a lot of high-end features into the VLED221wm, the impressive specs did not produce a huge image-quality boost. This monitor is best suited for a movie buff, for a multimedia/graphic designer who needs to see a wide gamut of bright colors, or for any tech enthusiast with money to burn. For the price, though, $800 would be better spent on a larger LCD monitor, or even a dual-monitor setup.

Google Lets Users Visualize Edits To Google Maps

Google's real-time viewer allows users to watch as other users around the world make changes to locations on maps.

Google has created a real-time viewer that allows users to watch as other users around the world make changes to locations on the maps, the company announced Thursday.

Google began allowing its users to edit locations on Google Maps in November as part of an effort to ensure that homes and businesses are marked in the correct location. While Google restricted access to some listings like hospitals, government buildings and businesses whose listings have been sited through Google's Local Business center, other users could move arrows marking locations. Some edits like moving a marker more than 200 yards from its original location requires a moderator's approval before they show up on Google.

The new viewer lets users "just sit back and watch the world's information improving bit by bit, edit by edit," Charles Spirakis, software engineer at Google Maps, said in a blog post. "I warn you, though, it's highly addictive (almost as addictive as helping make the improvements yourself!)."

Adam Ostrow, a blogger at Mashable, wrote that Google Maps is evolving to become Google's best homegrown social product.

"Although more of a 'that's cool' feature than something incredibly useful, the visualization does highlight the growing importance of social features in Google Maps," Ostrow wrote in a blog post. "They've also recently released collaborative maps, community maps, and in Google Earth, you can now see geo-tagged YouTube videos."

Ostrow said that Google's efforts to ramp up Google Maps seem to be paying off, citing a Hitwise report last week showing that Google is quickly narrowing the gap between its traffic and that of MapQuest. While 426% more users visited MapQuest than Google Maps in 2006, the lead was cut significantly last year as MapQuest pulled in only 126% more traffic than Google Maps.

Samsung SyncMaster 305T

This 30-inch display has first-rate image quality overall, though colors looked slightly dull in some photos.

The SyncMaster 305T performed well in our image quality tests, showing sharp text and nuanced color. Jurors were impressed with the 305T's rendering of text in a Microsoft Word document, as well as in a screen of repeating E's and M's.

The 305T showed a couple of photos in which colors appeared a bit muted in comparison with the other displays in the test group, but color representation seemed good overall.

This SyncMaster has a smooth black bezel and a circular stand. It tilts and swivels smoothly, though it is not height-adjustable, and it does not pivot. It is wall-mountable.

The only control it has to adjust the screen is one for brightness buttons on the front of the bezel increase and decrease the brightness of the display, and that's it. Currently no on-screen components are available to support the 305T's high resolution of 2560 by 1600, but Samsung states that future versions of this model should include an on-screen display for adjustments.

Two downstream USB ports reside on the back of the display. Samsung also includes a power-saver mode this switches the monitor to a low-power status when it has not been in use for some time.

At $1800, this SyncMaster is certainly pricey, but it falls well within the range of what other 30-inch LCDs cost. If you seek a monitor on which to spread out and see lots of documents at once, the 305T would be a fine choice.